New “copy ref” feature and update to the /delta call

We’re releasing another set of beta SDKs with two updates: a new API feature called “copy refs” and a second beta of the /deltacall.

Copy refs (beta)

The new /copy_ref call returns a unique reference to a file in a user’s Dropbox that can be used to copy that file to any other user’s Dropbox. Sharing files before /copy_ref meant that you had to download the files yourself and then upload them to your users. With /copy_ref you can quickly copy files between users without handling the file at all. Copying folders is not supported at this time.

The /fileops/copy call has been extended to accept a “from_copy_ref” parameter that uses the copy_ref to copy the file to the path specified.

We’re releasing this in beta to get feedback. Apps with production status will not be able to use this call until it’s out of beta. If you run into any issues, let us know on the forum thread.

/delta (beta 2)

There’s a new HTTP endpoint for the call: /delta_beta2. This second beta release works with apps that have full Dropbox access – no longer limited to apps with App Folder permission only. There have also been a few tweaks to the call’s response format:

The list of delta entries is now in a field named “entries”, instead of “delta”.

Instead of a “reset” entry in the list, there’s a top-level Boolean field named “reset”.

The format of “add” and “delete” entries have changed slightly.

Each delta entry now includes a lower-cased version of the entry’s path. This is to help apps treat file paths the same way Dropbox does — preserve case, but compare paths in a case insensitive way.

The old HTTP endpoint is still up, but we’ll be taking it down on March 1. If you run into any issues, let us know on the forum thread.

Please note: Sometimes we blog about upcoming products or features before they're released, but timing and exact functionality of these features may change from what's shared here. The decision to purchase our services should be made based on features that are currently available.